Friday, February 27, 2026

Synopsis: Challenges to Infant Baptism

Infant Baptism Challenges

B. B. Warfield . . . affirmed that infant baptism does not appear in the Scripture.

Regulative principle: If Scripture doesn’t command it, it is forbidden

By the 2nd and 3rd centuries, concern regarding original sin and the eternal destiny of children—began to advocate for infant baptism. (Origen and Cyprian of Carthage)

Dr. John MacArthur stated "Infant baptism is not in Scripture. And against that statement there is no evidence. There is no refuting of that statement. Scripture nowhere advocates infant baptism; it nowhere mentions infant baptism; it doesn’t exist in the Bible. There is no example of it; there is no comment on it; it’s not there. It is therefore impossible to prove that infant baptism is valid from the New Testament. It’s impossible to support it from the New Testament or, for that matter, from the Old Testament.

German theologian Schleiermacher wrote, “All traces of infant baptism which have been asserted to be found in the New Testament must first be inserted there.”

A Lutheran professor, Kurt Aland, after intensive study of infant baptism, says there is no definite proof of the practice until after the third century. And he says, “This cannot be contested.”

Catholic professor of theology, Haggelbacher, writes, “This controversy has shown that it is not possible to bring in absolute proof of infant baptism by basing one’s argument on the Bible.”

Tertullian offers four suggestions for baptism of infants:

1. Should have their baptism delayed.

2. Why should the sponsors be put into danger by the failure of the little child to fulfill the promises of the sponsors?

3. Should not be forbidden to come but be permitted to come to Christ “when they have become able to know Christ."

4. Should not be given baptism until they “know how to ask for salvation”

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Comparative Sacramental Theology (Reformed ; Lutheran; Anglican Theology)

I. Comparative Sacramental Theology

1. Reformed (Westminster): Spiritual Presence, Covenant Signs

The theology of the sacraments articulated in the Westminster Confession of Faith is often described as highly sacramental without being sacerdotal.

Key features:

Sacraments are signs and seals of the covenant of grace
A real spiritual relation exists between sign and thing signified
Efficacy depends on Christ’s institution and the Spirit’s work, not the moment of administration
Christ is really present in the Supper, but spiritually, not bodily
Faith is the instrument of reception

This framework preserves objectivity (God truly gives) without collapsing into automatism or metaphysical speculation.

2. Lutheran Theology: Sacramental Union and Bodily Presence

Classical Lutheran theology, as articulated in the Augsburg Confession, affirms a more robust account of Christ’s bodily presence in the Lord’s Supper.

Key distinctions:

Christ’s body and blood are truly present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine (often called sacramental union)
The Supper conveys grace objectively, even to the unworthy (though not savingly)
The presence is bodily, not merely spiritual, yet without transubstantiation
Greater emphasis on Christ’s words of institution (“This is my body”)

Lutherans worry that the Reformed view risks thinning the Supper into subjectivity, the Reformed worry that the Lutheran view risks binding Christ’s glorified body too closely to earthly elements.

Despite this difference, both reject transubstantiation and affirm that the Supper is far more than remembrance.

3. Anglican Theology: Deliberate Theological Latitude

Anglican sacramental theology occupies a broad middle space, formally defined by the Thirty-Nine Articles and liturgically shaped by the Book of Common Prayer.

Key characteristics:

Only two sacraments of the Gospel (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper)
Rejection of transubstantiation as “repugnant to Scripture”
Affirmation of real participation in Christ, without dogmatic precision on how
Strong emphasis on reverent reception, repentance, and faith

Historically, Anglicanism has housed:

Reformed-leaning interpretations (especially among Puritans and evangelicals)
High Church or Anglo-Catholic views, approaching Roman Catholic realism

In this sense, Anglican theology is intentionally less confessional and more liturgical, allowing sacramental unity amid theological diversity.

II. How Chapters 27–29 Shaped Reformed Worship and Pastoral Practice

1. Word-Centered Worship

Westminster’s sacramental theology ensured that preaching remained central. The sacraments were never sidelined, but they were always:

Interpreted by the Word
Guarded from ritualism
Integrated into covenantal proclamation

This produced a worship pattern in which:

The sermon explains the gospel
The sacraments visibly confirm the same gospel
Christ speaks first; the church responds

2. Pastoral Oversight and “Fencing the Table”

One of the most distinctive historical consequences was the practice of fencing the Lord’s Table.

Rooted in Chapter 29, this involved:

Catechetical preparation for communicants
Self-examination encouraged from the pulpit
Church discipline exercised pastorally, not punitively

The goal was not exclusion, but protection of souls and reverence for Christ’s ordinance. This practice profoundly shaped Reformed pastoral identity: ministers were not ritual technicians, but watchmen of the covenant.

3. Catechesis and Covenant Formation

Because baptism was understood as covenantal rather than magical, Reformed churches invested heavily in:

Catechisms (Shorter and Larger)
Household instruction
Public profession of faith

Baptism marked the beginning of a long pastoral journey, not the end of one. This produced generations of Christians formed by teaching, discipline, and communal responsibility.

4. Frequency and Reverence of Communion

Historically, many Reformed churches practiced less frequent communion (monthly or quarterly), not from indifference, but from fear of trivialization.

While this has been debated and often revised in modern practice, the original impulse was pastoral:

The Supper should never be routine
Preparation mattered
Reverence guarded joy

Even where frequency increased, the Westminster framework ensured that depth was never sacrificed for immediacy.

III. A Final Integrative Observation

What distinguishes the Westminster vision is not austerity, but theological restraint in service of pastoral care.

Against Rome: it denies a sacrificing priesthood
Against Zwinglianism: it denies mere symbolism
Against Lutheranism: it denies bodily localization
Against enthusiasm: it denies private administration

Yet it affirms—quietly but firmly—that Christ truly gives Himself to His people through outward means He Himself appointed.

In that sense, Chapters 27–29 are not merely doctrinal guardrails; they are a pastoral theology of assurance, teaching believers to trust not their experience, but God’s promise—spoken, seen, and sealed.

Chapter 29 — Of the Lord’s Supper

1. Purpose of the Supper

The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ to be observed frequently until His return. Its purposes include:

Remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice
Spiritual nourishment and growth
Strengthening of faith
Renewed covenant commitment
Communion with Christ and His people

The Supper does not repeat Christ’s sacrifice. It proclaims it. The table is not an altar; Christ is not re-offered. His atonement is once-for-all and fully sufficient.

2. Presence Without Transformation

The Confession rejects transubstantiation and any notion that the bread and wine are changed in substance. The elements remain bread and wine.

Yet the Supper is far more than mental recollection.

Christ is really, spiritually present—not corporally or locally, but by the Holy Spirit. Believers truly feed upon Christ by faith, receiving all the benefits of His death and resurrection.

Again, the distinction is crucial:

Bread and wine are the signs
Christ and His benefits are the things signified
Faith is the instrument of reception
The Spirit is the agent of efficacy

Unbelievers may receive the elements, but they do not receive Christ. Indeed, they eat and drink judgment—not because the sacrament is magical, but because covenant signs must be approached with discernment.

3. Fencing the Table

The Supper is for those who:

Profess faith in Christ
Examine themselves
Discern the Lord’s body

This necessitates pastoral oversight. The table belongs to Christ, not to the individual, and the church has a responsibility to guard it lovingly but faithfully.

Hence the strong insistence that the Supper be administered by ordained ministers, who preach the Word, explain the sacrament, and oversee its faithful use.

4. Unity of Word and Sacrament

In both Baptism and the Supper, Chapters 28 and 29 demonstrate the Confession’s central conviction:

The sacraments never stand alone.
They are the visible Word, confirming what the preached Word declares.

Detached from preaching, sacraments become either ritualism or sentimentality. Joined to the Word and received by faith, they become powerful means by which Christ assures, nourishes, and strengthens His people.

A Closing Pastoral Word

Taken together, these chapters present a deeply reverent, Christ-centered sacramental theology—one that avoids both bare symbolism and sacramental magic. Baptism marks our entry into the covenant community; the Supper sustains us along the pilgrim road.

Both proclaim the same gospel:

Christ given for sinners—received by faith alone yet graciously confirmed through visible signs ordained by God.

Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 28 — Of Baptism

Westminster Confession of Faith

Chapter 28 — Of Baptism

1. The Meaning of Baptism: Sign and Reality

Baptism is described as a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Christ, with a rich cluster of meanings. It signifies and seals:

Ingrafting into Christ
Remission of sins
Regeneration by the Spirit
Adoption and covenant inclusion
Obligation to walk in newness of life

Here the Confession is careful and precise:
Baptism does not regenerate automatically, nor is grace inseparably tied to the moment of administration. Yet neither is baptism an empty symbol. It is a true means of grace, because God has freely attached His promises to it.

The water is the sign; union with Christ and cleansing from sin are the things signified. The efficacy of baptism depends not on the water, nor on the minister, but on God’s appointment and the Spirit’s work, received by faith.

2. Who May Be Baptized

Baptism is to be administered:

Once only, as the sign of covenant entrance
To those who profess faith in Christ
And to the infants of one or both believing parents

Infant baptism rests on covenant theology rather than presumed regeneration. The child receives the sign of the promise, not a guarantee of salvation. Baptism places the child within the visible church and under its nurture, discipline, and prayers—anticipating faith rather than replacing it.

Thus, baptism looks forward as well as backward: it binds God’s promise to the individual and binds the individual (or the child’s household) to a life of faith and repentance.

3. Mode and Minister

The Confession affirms that baptism is rightly administered by pouring or sprinkling with water, emphasizing meaning over method. Immersion is not denied, but it is not required.

Consistent with Chapter 27, baptism is to be administered only by a lawfully ordained minister of the Word, because it is a public covenant act of Christ toward His church—not a private devotional rite.

Westminster Confession of Faith — Chapter 27: Of the Sacraments

1. Sacraments as Signs and Seals

Chapter 27 teaches that sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, instituted directly by God. Their purpose is fourfold:

To represent Christ and His benefits
To confirm believers in Him
To distinguish the visible church from the world
To solemnly engage believers in obedience

The Confession is careful to distinguish between the sign (the outward element) and the thing signified (the spiritual reality). Water, bread, and wine do not become grace; rather, they point to grace already promised in Christ.

Yet the connection between sign and reality is not merely symbolic or subjective. By divine appointment, there is a real spiritual relation between them. Thus, Scripture can speak of the sign using the name of the thing signified (e.g., baptism called “washing,” the Supper called “communion in the body and blood of Christ”)—without implying any physical transformation.

Grace is not conferred automatically (ex opere operato), but is effectually applied by the Holy Spirit to those who receive the sacrament by faith, according to God’s sovereign will.

2. Two Sacraments, Not Seven

The Confession recognizes only two sacraments as instituted by Christ for the New Covenant:

Baptism
The Lord’s Supper

These alone meet the biblical criteria for a sacrament:

Instituted by Christ
Commanded for the whole church
Using a visible sign that signifies gospel grace

In contrast, Roman Catholicism recognizes seven sacraments:

Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist
Penance
Extreme Unction
Holy Orders
Matrimony

From a Protestant perspective, five of these lack either clear dominical institution or the character of a gospel sign and seal. They may be pastoral rites or ecclesial practices, but they are not sacraments in the strict biblical sense.

3. Why Only Lawfully Ordained Ministers May Administer the Sacraments

Chapter 27 insists that the sacraments are to be dispensed only by ministers of the Word lawfully ordained. This is not because ministers possess a higher personal holiness or ontological power, but because:

Sacraments are acts of Christ toward His church, not private religious expressions.
They belong to public worship, which Christ has entrusted to duly called shepherds.
The same authority that preaches the Word authoritatively also administers its visible confirmation.

Word and sacrament are inseparable. To detach the sacraments from ordained ministry risks severing them from their ecclesial and doctrinal guardrails, turning them into either magical rites or subjective symbols.

This is a matter of order, fidelity, and accountability, not clerical privilege.

4. Priesthood of All Believers vs. Ministerial Priesthood

Protestant theology wholeheartedly affirms the priesthood of all believers: every Christian has direct access to God through Christ, offers spiritual sacrifices, and shares in Christ’s anointing as Prophet, Priest, and King.

However, this does not eliminate the need for ordained ministry. Rather, it clarifies its nature.

In Protestantism, ministers are not mediating priests who re-present Christ’s sacrifice.
They are servants of the Word, stewards of the mysteries, and shepherds of Christ’s flock.
Their authority is ministerial and declarative, not sacrificial or ontological.

By contrast, Roman Catholic theology understands the priesthood as a distinct sacramental order, imparting an indelible character and enabling the priest to act in persona Christi, especially in the Eucharistic sacrifice.

The Reformed tradition rejects this, insisting that Christ’s priesthood is once-for-all, unrepeatable, and fully sufficient. No human priest stands between the believer and God—yet Christ still appoints under-shepherds to preach, teach, and administer His ordinances faithfully.

5. A Gracious Balance

Chapter 27 thus holds together two essential truths:

The sacraments are profoundly meaningful, truly communicating Christ and His benefits to believers by faith.
They are never autonomous, never magical, and never detached from the Word, the Spirit, and the church Christ has ordered.

In this way, the Confession safeguards both the objectivity of God’s promises and the necessity of faith, preserving the sacraments as gifts of grace rather than human achievements.

Monday, February 16, 2026

Matthew 22:30 - No Marriage in Heaven

Let us approach Matthew 22:30 with both careful exegesis and pastoral sensitivity.

“At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”
— Gospel of Matthew 22:30

1. Immediate Context and Meaning

Jesus is responding to the Sadducees, who deny the resurrection and attempt to reduce it to absurdity by projecting earthly social structures—especially marriage—into the age to come. His answer corrects a category error: the resurrection life is not merely a continuation of present life, but a transformation of it.

Marriage, as instituted in creation, serves several purposes:

Covenant companionship in a fallen world
Ordering of sexuality
Procreation and the continuation of humanity
A sacramental sign pointing beyond itself (cf. Eph. 5)

In the resurrection, these purposes are fulfilled and transcended. Humanity has reached its telos; death is no more; procreation is no longer necessary; and the sign has given way to the reality.

2. “Like the Angels”: Not Less Human, but Fully Human

Jesus does not say we become angels, but that we are like them in this respect—specifically, non-marital and immortal (Luke 20:36 clarifies this).

This is crucial:

The resurrection does not diminish relational capacity
It expands it beyond present constraints

Angels are fully oriented toward God and, therefore, fully available in love and communion. That is the analogy Jesus invokes.

3. Marriage as an Exclusive Love—and Its Necessary Limits

The deepest earthly marriages are marked by:

Exclusivity
Particularity
A kind of holy partiality

This exclusivity is not a flaw; it is essential to marriage. Yet it also means that even the most loving spouses must withhold certain dimensions of affection, availability, and intimacy from others.

In heaven, however:

There is no need for protective exclusivity
No fear of loss or rivalry
No divided loyalties

What marriage guarded in a broken world becomes universalized in a redeemed one.

4. Greater Love, Not Less Love

A common pastoral fear is that the absence of marriage implies the loss of its love. Jesus suggests the opposite.

In the resurrection:

Love is no longer filtered through insecurity, sin, fatigue, or finitude
The heart is fully healed and enlarged
Each person loves with a Christlike, undiminished charity

Thus, the redeemed will love every redeemed person more deeply, more purely, and more joyfully than even the best earthly spouses can love one another now.

This does not erase personal history. Recognition remains. Memory remains. But love is no longer competitive or possessive—it is perfectly generous.

5. Christ as the Fulfillment of Spousal Love

Marriage, Scripture teaches, is ultimately eschatological signpost, pointing to the union between Christ and His people. When the Bridegroom is fully present, the sign is no longer needed.

In heaven:

No one is “less loved” because all are fully loved
No one is “lonely” because communion is complete
No one is “second” because all are equally secure in divine love

What spouses taste now in fleeting moments—complete knowing without fear, intimacy without shame, love without loss—becomes the shared atmosphere of the redeemed community.

6. A Pastoral Summary

Jesus is not telling us that heaven is relationally impoverished. He is telling us it is relationally consummated.

Earthly marriage is a narrow channel carrying a vast river of love. In the resurrection, the river overflows its banks and floods the entire landscape of redeemed humanity.

What is relinquished is not love—but limitation.

Saturday, February 14, 2026

The Church According to Chapter 25 of the Westminster Confession of Faith

1. What Do We Mean When We Say “the Church”?

The Confession reminds us that the Church is more than a building or a denomination. At its deepest level, it is the whole people of God, united to Jesus Christ, whom Scripture calls our Head, Bridegroom, and Savior.
Discussion: How does this broader understanding shape the way we think about our local congregation?

2. The Invisible Church: God’s Perspective

The invisible Church includes all the elect—believers from every age whom God knows perfectly. This gives us comfort: God’s work in salvation is secure, even when the visible Church appears weak or divided.
Discussion: Why is it reassuring that God sees His Church more clearly than we do?

3. The Visible Church: Our Lived Experience

The visible Church includes all who publicly profess the Christian faith and their children. It is where faith is taught, worship is offered, and discipleship takes place in real time.
Discussion: What responsibilities come with belonging to the visible Church?

4. One Church, Not Two Competing Churches

The Confession does not describe two separate churches, but two ways of speaking about the same Church—one as God sees it, and one as it appears in the world.
Discussion: How can confusing these two perspectives lead either to discouragement or pride?

5. The Church as God’s Ordinary Means of Grace

God ordinarily uses the Church—through preaching, sacraments, and fellowship—to bring people to faith and nurture them in Christ. This underscores the importance of regular worship and participation.
Discussion: Why do you think God chose to work through the Church rather than independent spirituality?

6. Christ’s Faithful Provision

Christ has not left His Church unequipped. He provides ministers, Scripture, and ordinances, and He works through them by the Holy Spirit to grow His people.
Discussion: Where have you seen Christ faithfully sustaining His Church, even in difficult seasons?

7. The Church’s Visibility Changes Over Time

At different points in history, the Church has been more or less visible, influential, or faithful. God’s purposes, however, have never failed.
Discussion: How does church history help us remain patient and hopeful today?

8. No Perfect Churches—Including Ours

Every church, even the best, is marked by sin and error. This calls us to humility, discernment, and ongoing reform rather than cynicism or withdrawal.
Discussion: How can we pursue faithfulness without expecting perfection?

9. A Serious Warning About Departure from the Gospel

The Confession soberly acknowledges that some churches may drift so far from Christ’s truth that they can no longer rightly be called His. This urges vigilance and love for the truth.
Discussion: What safeguards help a church remain faithful to the gospel?

10. Christ Alone Is the Head of the Church

Finally, the Confession insists that Christ alone governs His Church. No human leader or institution can take His place. This preserves both the Church’s unity and Christ’s glory.
Discussion: How does Christ’s headship shape our view of authority, leadership, and obedience in the Church?

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